Apple Lentil Kale Salad

Having someone to run errands with makes them so much more fun. And having a car makes many so much quicker and easier. Now that Mister BS has joined me in Santa Barbara, I’m loving our Saturday morning trips to the farmer’s market.

We have a nice walk down to the farmer’s market, picking items from our list and some extra goodies, too. Then we can load up in the car to get the rest of our groceries from Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.

When I saw this beautiful Lacinato kale at the farmer’s market, I knew I wanted to try and recreate one of my favorite lunches: this green lentil power salad I pick up at Flagstone Pantry at the Santa Barbara Public Market.

I usually reach for curly green kale, but the Tuscan variety stands up nicely and I knew a big batch of this salad would give us half a week’s worth of healthy, delicious lunches. Pair it with a slice of baguette with goat cheese, apricot preserves, and arugula (another trick I picked up from Flagstone Pantry) and you’ve got the perfect lunch.

Apple Lentil Kale Salad

Salad Ingredients

1 bunch Lacinato or Tuscan kale

1 green apple, chopped

1 Persian cucumber, chopped

1 C cooked black lentils

1/4 C shredded parmesan

1/4 C chopped parsley

Lemon Dressing

1/3 C olive oil

2 T white wine vinegar

1 T dijon vinegar

juice and zest of one lemon

1 T agave nectar

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper

Prepare lentils according to directions. Set aside to cool. Remove kale leaves from stems, roll, and cut into ribbons. Chop apple, cucumber, and parsley. Add to kale ribbons.

Combine dressing ingredients in jar, the shake until emulsified. Pour over greens, add lentils and parmesan, then let set. This is a perfect make-ahead salad, as the kale softens and the flavors mingle as it sits.